The much talked-about TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre 1887 will finally be unveiled at Basel tomorrow. The new model is a successful evolution of the exiting Carrera CV2017, and of course is fitted with TAG Heuer’s new movement.

Of course, there is a separate and very interesting story to the Calibre 1887 itself, but for now let’s focus on the watch itself.

At launch there are two models available- white (CAR2111) and black (CAR2110) dial, both available with either a leather strap or a bracelet.

The first thing that you notice about  the watch is how clean and simple the dial looks- this is a very classical watch without any gimmicks.

The dial has a satin finish which gives the watch a softer look than the previous model Carrera and there is a thinner bezel, which makes the dial seem larger, although at 41mm it’s the same size as the other Carrera’s.

One of my favourite aspects of the dial is the use of the “Rifle Scope” on the 9 o’clock sub-dial- the same pattern that TAG Heuer used for the re-edition CS2110 Monaco, which itself took the design from the Calibre 15 Heuer range of the 1970s.

I’m not sure if this back version is a pre-production model or the finished watch- the publicity photos for the Carrera Calibre 1887 all show a circular pattern on the 6 o’clock sub-dial, which this watch is missing.

The crystal is double AR coated, but I didn’t notice that blue hue that you often get with Anti Reflective coating.

Normally, I prefer the back version of the Carrera, but the white one here is definitely the favourite- especially when mounted on a black crocodile strap. TAG Heuer haven’t released any prices for the Carrera Calibre 1887, but I believe that they will be at a small premium to the current models- perhaps 5-10%

Now, a brief word on the movement: what is clear when you first press the chrono. buttons is how smooth the new Calibre 1887 is- its a marked difference from the Calibre 17 and other ETA variants. And of course, there is no point having a new movement unless you can see it…

You can tell a lot about how TAG Heuer see the Calibre 1887 by the fact that they chose to release the new movement in an evolution of an existing design, rather than with a flashy concept watch. This movement will be the mainstay of TAG Heuer’s chronograph watches for many years to come, and this Carrera is a great way to start the Calibre 1887 story.

For information on the Calibre 1887 movement and how it’s made, click here

Click here for more photos of the Carrera Calibre 1887.

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Update: May 28 2010

TAG Heuer have made some subtle, but important, changes to the final design of the Carrera 1887- see here for more information.

What do you think of the new Carrera? Discuss at WatchUseek’s TAG Heuer forum